1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to scanners, and more particularly, to a sheet-fed scanner which allows the user to selectively arrange the feed-in and feed-out position in accordance with the user's preference.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional sheet-fed scanners typically include a base which allows the document that is to be scanned by the scanner to be fed into the scanning position along either a horizontal path or an inclined path. For a scanner of the horizontal feed-in and feed-out type, a suitable amount of space should be provided on the rear side (the feed-out side) of the scanner so that the feed-out of the scanned document will not be impeded, for example, by the wall. For a scanner of the inclined feed-in and feed-out type, a suitable amount of space should be provided on the top side and bottom side of the scanner so that the feed-in and feed-out of the sheets will not be impeded. These requirements, however, will cause the scanners to occupy a relatively large amount of office space. Although the sheet-fed scanners have the advantage of having a smaller size than conventional flatbed scanners, the foregoing drawback will offset this advantage.
Moreover, conventional sheet-fed scanners can only allow the user to feed the sheets from a fixed feed-in position only, either a horizontal feed-in or an inclined feed-in. Those users who prefer to use inclined feed-in from the top and feed-out from the bottom may not like using scanners of the horizontal feed-in and feed-out type. There exists, therefore, a need for a new sheet-fed scanner which allows the user to selectively arrange the feed-in and feed-out position in accordance with the user's preference.